Somali pirates release German-owned ship after months

[News_Editor]

Somali pirates release German-owned ship after months

2010-12-29 15:57:04 GMT+7 (ICT)

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- Somali pirates on Tuesday morning released a German-owned vessel carrying nearly two dozen crew members off Oman, the European Union Naval Force - Somalia confirmed on Wednesday.

EU Naval Force spokesman Paddy O'Kennedy said the 13,168 tonne cargo ship MV Marida Marguerite was pirated on May 8 approximately 120 nautical miles (222 kilometers) south of the port of Salalah, a city in the southern Omani province of Dhofar. It is carrying a crew of 22 - 19 Indian, 1 Ukrainian and 2 Bangladeshi.

O'Kennedy said the German-owned, Marshall Island-flagged MV Marida Marguerite was on its way to Antwerp in Belgium at the time of the hijacking and had been held hostage ever since as the pirates demanded millions in ransom.

On Sunday, the pirates were reportedly paid a ransom of $5.5 million for the release of the crew and the ship, according to ECOTERRA International, which keeps a record of pirating incidents.

Currently, Somali pirates are holding at least 25 vessels with a total of 587 hostages, according to the European Union Naval Force - Somalia, which also keeps a record of pirating incidents. Most hijackings usually end without casualties when a ransom has been paid. This, however, often takes many months.

On Monday, Somali pirates hijacked the German-owned, Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship MV EMS River about 175 nautical miles (325 kilometers) northeast of the port of Salalah. It is carrying eight crew members, all Filipino except one who is Romanian.

In recent years, Somali pirates have hijacked hundreds of ships, taking in tens of millions of dollars in ransom. Ships are patrolling the shipping lanes near Somalia in an effort to reduce hijackings, but the anti-piracy force has warned that attacks are likely to increase now that the regional monsoon season has ended.

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